East Sea High School, The Library.
"This is the worst luck! What was the principal thinking, pulling a sneak attack like this? A school-wide test next Monday, and if you fail, they notify your parents for 'strict supervision.' I swear...!"
"Who the hell knows! Now I have to come to the library to study after school. I was supposed to go see a fighting tournament in the East District with my friends!"
Even though it was Wednesday afternoon and classes had ended, the library was unusually crowded. Some students were reading quietly, while others were busy complaining to each other.
But they all had one thing in common: the vibrant look of youth written all over their faces. It was a beautiful sight.
One of the students who had been chatting and complaining paused, tugging on his friend's sleeve. A few of them looked up and saw a boy in simple, even old-fashioned, clothes walk into the library.
"Is that guy a student here? I don't recognize him," one student asked, puzzled. The boy's remarkably handsome features, combined with his worn-out clothes, made him stand out.
Another student beside him spoke up thoughtfully:
"Haven't you heard? The school started some kind of financial aid program for underprivileged students. He's probably a new transfer student on that program."
Understanding dawned on them. They all sized up the boy from a distance, but their gazes held only curiosity, with no trace of contempt.
East Sea High School placed great importance on its students' moral character.
The boy who had walked in was, of course, Lu Xuan. He scanned the room, a little lost. The vast library was almost completely full, with hardly an empty seat in sight.
Lu Xuan clicked his tongue in amazement. 'The study atmosphere at East Sea High School is incredible. My future classmates are all working so, so hard...'
'I can't fall behind!'
He moved steadily between the bookshelves and quickly selected a few books that might be useful to him.
For example, *Basic Introduction to Cultivation*, *Precautions for Transporting Essence Qi*, and *Swordsmanship Introduction (4th Edition)*, among others.
Holding the stack of books, he began to worry.
'There are no seats...'
Everywhere he looked, there were people!
After wandering around the library for a while, Lu Xuan finally spotted a small, round table in a corner. There were two chairs by it, but only one was occupied.
His eyes lit up. He quickly walked over, sat down, and asked politely:
"Excuse me, is this seat taken?"
The girl who was reading quietly looked up, and Lu Xuan froze for a moment.
'She's beautiful.'
The girl had incredibly fair skin, bright, shimmering eyes, and a pert nose set above a small, faintly-red mouth. Her neck was long and snow-white. Her face alone was beautiful enough to topple a city,
and when you added the astonishing curves that even her loose school uniform couldn't hide, you could say she was beautiful enough to topple a nation.
The only imperfection was that the girl seemed extremely cold. Even though her large eyes shimmered, they held an icy chill. Even her speech was brief and clipped.
"It's not."
As soon as the words left her mouth, the girl immediately lowered her head and went back to her book, not sparing Lu Xuan another glance.
Lu Xuan didn't mind. He just happily sat down, neatly placed his books on the edge of the small table to make sure he wouldn't disturb the girl opposite him, and then gently opened *Basic Introduction to Cultivation* to begin reading.
He didn't notice the strange looks from some of the nearby students.
"He actually sat next to Yanbing Mountain. That guy's got some nerve..."
"Seriously, I'm impressed. I wouldn't dare go near Yanbing Mountain... It's a shame. She's so beautiful, so why does she always have that 'keep your distance' look?"
After a few whispered comments, they stopped paying attention and dutifully returned to their books, preparing for the mysterious test next Monday.
Not long after Lu Xuan opened his book, his ears twitched. 'Hm? What's that sound?'
He subconsciously looked up and happened to see the girl across from him carefully slip a potato chip into her mouth. Probably afraid the crunching would disturb others, she used her little tongue to slowly break it apart.
As if sensing something, the cold girl looked up, her gaze meeting Lu Xuan's directly. After a second, or maybe half a second, she hastily lowered her head again.
Once her head was down, she awkwardly stood her book up on the table, not relaxing until her exquisite face was completely hidden.
Lu Xuan scratched his head in confusion. His gaze fell on the title of the book in her hands: *Super Ancient History Research Inference*.
He didn't think much of it and went back to his own book.
Time slipped by quietly as they read. Before they knew it, the Golden Crow had sunk in the west, and the evening glow filled the sky.
The library's crowd gradually thinned out until, eventually, the only ones left were Lu Xuan, who still hadn't found the answers he was looking for, and the cold girl sitting across from him.
After a while longer, the library became utterly silent, with only the faint rustle of the two of them occasionally turning a page.
GRUMBLE!
Having not eaten all afternoon, on top of silently circulating his breathing technique, Lu Xuan's stomach let out a cry. The sound, normally not loud, was piercing in the quiet environment, startling the girl who was engrossed in her book.
The girl looked up, dazed, at the boy opposite her. He blushed and scratched his head.
After a moment's hesitation, she quietly took out the bag of potato chips that had been resting on her lap, placed it on the table, and silently pushed it toward him.
Lu Xuan paused for a second, but he wasn't one to be pretentious. He said a sincere "thank you" and gently took a chip from the bag. He had never eaten this kind of food before, and his eyes were filled with curiosity.
"You're welcome." Her voice was a mere whisper, though still as cold as ever.
After a long while, Lu Xuan, still frustrated at not finding the answers he sought, noticed how late it was. He closed his book and stood up.
At that exact moment, the girl also stood up. In the vast, empty library, their eyes met unintentionally. She hastily averted her gaze from his and began to shuffle away with small steps.
Lu Xuan didn't say anything. He just returned his books, intending to leave.
Just as he was about to go, he thought for a moment and said softly to the girl, who was still putting her book back:
"Hi, my name is Lu Xuan."
The cold girl froze, silent for a long moment, before finally speaking in a low voice:
"Um, hi. I'm Yan Jiangxue."
"Thanks for the snack."
"You... you're welcome."
Lu Xuan thought for a moment more, then added:
"It's almost midnight, and the crime rate in East Sea City isn't great. Do you live far? If you do, I can walk you part of the way."
Lately, he had seen many news reports on Wu Xiaoxu's TV about local violent crimes. It was far from peaceful.
But Yan Jiangxue, who usually had a frosty expression, waved her hands in a fluster.
"No! Don't... I can get home by myself!"
Lu Xuan didn't think much of her reaction, just smiled, nodded, and left the library.
Only after she was sure the sound of his footsteps had faded away did Yan Jiangxue let out a sigh of relief and gently pat her chest.
After returning her books one by one, she also left the library and walked all the way to the school gate.
"Young Lady." The director of the Super Ancient Research Institute had been waiting for a long time.
Yan Jiangxue gave a slight nod and got straight into the car without a word.
The director wasn't surprised. He knew that his Young Lady appeared cold and aloof. Aside from topics related to ancient history, she was always a woman of few words, putting on an unapproachable front.
But in reality, she just had a bit of social anxiety.
Sitting in the car, Yan Jiangxue stared out the window at the colorful neon lights, slightly dazed.
"Young Lady, did you find any useful clues about ancient history in the library today?"
"No."
The moment ancient history was mentioned, her spirits lifted slightly, and she became more talkative:
"There wasn't any useful information. I'll try looking for some older books in the library over the next few days. It's like I always say, for that Li Er and Lu Xuan to have left their names in history, they couldn't have been simple people..."
She trailed off, stunned. 'Lu Xuan?'
She couldn't help but think of the handsome boy, and a faint blush crept onto her face.
'The exact same name. What a coincidence.'